Mistaken Perceptions
by BetterLateThanNever
Summary: Draco Malfoy has turned to the light and is now in the order. He goes on what should be a routine mission with his Godfather and finds much more than he ever expected. Harry/Draco H/D Rated T for the moment. On hiatus pending rewrite.
1. Chapter 1

Mistaken Perceptions

Harry stretched out as much as he could in the cramped cupboard. He had been moved back into there after his uncle had discovered that he couldn't do magic outside of school. His uncle seemed to have lost all fear of him now and Harry had no one to turn to. Sirius' name still hadn't been cleared and the ministry were coming down hard on Remus after new stricter regulations had been imposed on the werewolf.

Harry had been communicating with Ron and Hermione but no matter how much they planned they had found no way to get him out. Not that he had told them quite how bad it was however, they didn't need to worry about him on top of everything else.

Harry heard a drunken yell from the kitchen and flinched, his uncle was calling for him once again and it's not as if his aunt or Dudley were going to act as shields for him. To them he was just a freak and he deserved every beating his uncle handed out.

Harry dragged his abused body out of the cupboard knowing that the consequences would be worse if he ignored his uncle and the ministry were just looking for an excuse to expel him so that ruled out magic. He was going to turn 17 in little under two weeks and he couldn't wait for the day when he would be completely free from the fat man's iron-fisted rule.

He stood in front of his uncle his shoulders hunched inwards looking frail and too thin.

"What's this, Boy," the fat man bellowed indicating a spillage on the kitchen floor. "You did this to spite me didn't you?" His fat hand reigned down a series of hard slaps on Harry's face. Harry remained impassive throughout this punishment but inside he was raging. All of his energy was going into clamping down on his magic which was boiling up inside of him. He couldn't let it out and he knew that but his magic was tired of being restricted and his damaged body naturally strived to protect itself.

Harry suddenly snapped back into the real world as a hard blow knocked the wind out of him and he felt one of his ribs snapping. He finally took the time to register his uncle's face, purple with rage, the vein in his forehead pulsing dangerously. Harry hadn't seen his uncle this angry in a long time, or this inebriated and he was suddenly struck with the cold realisation that maybe this time his uncle wouldn't stop. This could be the end for the boy who lived.

He fell to the floor still struggling with his magic as his uncle kicked him repeatedly over and over again in his head, his stomach, his back.

Darkness gathered around the edges of Harry's eyes and in his last conscious moments he did the only thing he could as he waited for death.

Harry Potter released his magic.

~*~*~*~

Severus Snape billowed towards Dumbledore's office, his blonde godson trailing reluctantly behind him. For the first time ever Draco had defied his father and in an act of supreme sacrifice he had given up all that he had in order to do what was right.

Draco had chosen Harry Potter and probably signed his death warrant by doing so.

Now Severus, who had been uncovered as a spy for the light, had his godson under constant guard in Hogwarts, possibly the only place that could protect them from the wrath of Lord Voldemort. Draco had recently turned 17 and as such, had been inducted into the Order and he was now doing his level best to help the war effort.

"Uncle Sev, why has Dumbledore summoned you?" he questioned his godfather.

"I do not know Draco but if you want to continue to be allowed to accompany me then you had best remain silent," said Severus arching a haughty eyebrow and peering down his hooked nose at the inquisitive teen.

Draco sighed and shut his mouth as Severus muttered the password and stepped past the gargoyles.

"Ah Severus," Dumbledore said, a serious looking his sparkling blue eyes. "I have some order business that you must attend to. You may bring young Mr Malfoy since he is now a member of the order but I expect utter discretion on both of your parts," Draco had never heard the jovial old wizard sound so severe.

"Of course Headmaster," agreed Severus as Draco nodded his consent. "What is the business you wish us to attend to?"

"The wards surrounding Harry Potter's summer residence have detected a flare of magic," Dumbledore said. "It is unclear where the magic is from but I need you both to look into it. It is better to be safe than sorry after all, especially in the case of young Mr Potter."

Severus exchanged a glance with his youthful charge. "Are you sure there is no one better suited for this task?" asked Severus slightly incredulously. "I doubt Potter will appreciate our intrusion," He spat Harry's name like it left a bad taste in his mouth.

Draco kept silent but he sort of agreed with Severus. Checking up on Potter because he had been too lazy to wash the dishes or something, did not seem like a profitable use of their time.

However, he had sworn an oath of allegiance to Potter and he was interested to see how the Golden Boy lived. He imagined it to be a large ostentatious mansion with his muggle relatives waiting on him hand and foot. Maybe the mansion had a special area for the press to camp out in; the boy seemed to be in the media so much. Even his defection to the light side had done little to ease Draco's bitterness at Harry's "perfect" life.

Although he knew little about Harry, Draco had decided long ago that he knew enough to be insanely jealous at the friendship, love and respect that Harry seemed to gain so easily and that Draco had never had. Not even from his parents.

Yes, he decided, it would be good to see just how the great Harry Potter lives. He came back to reality just in time to hear Snape agreeing to check out Potter's house and they began to leave trying to get to the apparition point.

"Severus," called Dumbledore as they headed out. The Potions Master turned back towards him repressing a long suffering sigh.

"Yes, Headmaster."

"Take as many healing potions with you as you can possibly manage. I have a feeling you're going to need them."

~*~*~*~

Severus and Draco arrived at the tiny muggle house that was Number 4, Privet Drive. It was not as Draco had expected it but he knew, especially with magic involved, that first impressions could be deceiving.

Severus strode up to the front door and knocked obnoxiously loudly. Draco could feel a tingle in the air of exceptionally powerfully magic. It flooded his body setting his nerve endings on fire and sending a shiver racing down Draco's spine.

There was no reply from within the house except for a muffled yell of "Go away!"

Severus lifted his wand and silently unlocked the door, the feel of the powerful magic got even stronger and for the first time Draco started to be a little fearful for what they might find inside.

Chapter 2

Severus entered the house casting his eyes around the dimly lit hallway. There didn't appear to be anything wrong with the house but his instincts were telling him something was amiss and 17 years of spying were enough to teach him to trust his instincts.

He kept Draco firmly planted behind him as the crept quietly down the hallway. Severus knew there was something wrong when his finely attuned potions nose detected traces of the metallic tang of blood in the air.

"Stay here," he cautioned Draco. He walked into the kitchen rolling his eyes as he felt Draco follow closely behind, regardless of his instructions.

The scene that greeted Severus ad Draco was... gruesome to say the least. A great whale of a man way dragging what looked like a corpse slowly across the kitchen floor leaving a gleaming trail of blood. Draco gasped loudly as the shock of black hair on top of the corpses head identified it as Harry Potter.

The fat man glanced up at the gasp and dropped Harry's lifeless body in favour of advancing menacingly upon the two men in his kitchen. Severus quickly pulled out a wand and with a hasty incarcerus had the man trussed up. He silenced the fat muggle's protests and quickly strode to the side of the fallen Saviour. Draco trembled in shock as Severus grabbed him and Harry and activated the portkey that would whisk them back to Hogwarts.

~*~*~*~

Madam Pomfrey was just preparing a cup of tea when her fireplace flared. She was astonished the see a panicked Severus protruding from her fireplace and insisting that she come to the hospital wing at once.

When she arrived she understood why Severus was in such a panic. The patient that awaited her was nearly dead. She ran a diagnostic spell to catalogue his injuries and then proceeded to perform a few complex healing charms to deal with the plethora of broken bones, cuts and bruises. She had been working almost automatically up to this point not really thinking past healing the patient but as he got further out of the woods she finally had time to realise his identity.

Sweet Merlin, that was Harry Potter. How did he get in such a state? He must have been doing something for the order, she decided. He couldn't possibly have got in to such a state while staying with his relatives. Surely not.

Poppy was drawn out of her thoughts by Severus' sharp voice.

"Have you ever run a full diagnostic on the boy, Poppy?" he questioned.

She shook her head in denial realising that although he had been through her ward many times she had never actually scanned him past basic checks.

"I would like a full check up dating back to birth, if you would, Poppy," Severus said in clipped tones.

The mediwitch bustled to perform the spell and had a quick quotes quill perched ready to note down the findings. The first year or so of Harry life was pretty normal with only the occasional bumped knee or head, culminating in the curse scar received from Voldemort. Pretty soon after that however, the injuries began to tall up endless lists of broken bones and infected cuts that had received no treatment, almost constant malnutrition up until he was 11 and then every summer after that. As the list went on the injuries got worse and worse and only a few of them had been healed which were the injuries sustained at Hogwarts. None of his other injuries had even been treated with muggle medicine.

As the spell finished its assessment of Harry's injuries Poppy gave a sob. She covered her face with her hands and cried for the boy who had lost his youth. She felt Severus pat her awkwardly on the back and could tell by that uncharacteristic gesture from her old friend that he was feeling the pain and guilt just as keenly and she was, albeit in a more restrained and Snape-like manner.

In all the fuss nobody noticed Draco Malfoy turn tail and run.

~*~*~*~

Draco had no idea where he was going he just knew that he had to get out of there, get away from the horror story he'd steeped into when he entered Harry Potter's home. He couldn't believe he had been so wrong about Perfect Potter's life. How could no one have noticed what was going on? It was unthinkable.

Although Draco had been a Deatheater's child he had been coddled by his mother and luckily he had not been old enough to participate in what his father got up to so despite his family he had little idea of the bad things that could happen in life. Certainly he could never have imagined anything as bad as what had been listed in Harry Potter's diagnosis. At 17 it was more than uncomfortable to have his world view shaken like this. He had known logically that there were bad people who did bad things, his father being one of them, but to see it laid out before him like that was almost more than his mind could handle.

He found himself climbing the steps to the Astronomy Tower and wet and sat on the ledge to look out at the night sky attempting to process all that had happened that night. After a few hours he started shivering from his prolonged exposure to the cool summer breeze that wafted through the tower. He went back down into the castle and almost without thinking his feet carried him down the familiar path to the hospital wing.

He paused in the doorway noticing the room was empty, Severus and Poppy having long since gone to bed. Working up his courage he slowly made his way across the room until he was standing at the bedside of his former nemesis.

Harry Potter looked almost angelic while he slept; his face healed and cleared of blood and his long thick black eyelashes brushing against his cheekbones. His silky, black was spread like a halo across the white pillow and the contrast was startling. Without any conscious thought Draco found his hand moving to pet the dark tresses. God they were silky, Draco felt an inexplicable urge to wrap himself around the sleeping angel and never let go and still moving in a sleep-like state of shock Draco did just that. He lay down next to Harry bloody Potter and gathered the boy into his arms before falling promptly into the most restful sleep he'd had in the past few weeks.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey there, I'd like to firstly thank everyone who reviewed and added this story to their story alert. I'm sure all of the other authors know how great it feels to know that people are reading and enjoying your stories. I apologise in advance for and spelling/grammar mistakes in the story. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter (unfortunately) if I did Draco and Harry's relationship would have played out a lot differently ;)**

**Now on with the story**

Chapter 3

Harry slowly forced his eyes open. There were bright, blinding lights and a hot, heavy weight pinning him down, keeping him frozen in place. He was pretty sure that this was some kind of dream since he was feeling better than he had all summer and warmer, too. The heat felt so real but he knew it couldn't be. Heat was not something he'd ever find in his cupboard at the Dursley's.

His eyes started to adjust to the harsh light and his mind started working overtime trying to remember what had happened. He remembered pain and yelling but not much else and after that... nothing. And now here he was in this lovely, warm place... oh God, he was dead wasn't he. Oh shit he was far too young to die; he had yet to rid the world of Voldemort. What would his friends do without him? He didn't want to upset 'Mione that was exactly what he'd been trying to prevent by keeping his home life from them. But it looked like that was all for nothing since now he was dead anyway.

He sighed and turned his head to the side in resignation and started at what he saw there. A sleeping head of platinum blonde hair was resting on the pillow next to his. What the Hell? What was Malfoy doing in his heaven? And if this wasn't heaven then what was Malfoy doing in his dream? And if, Gods forbid, this wasn't a dream... what the HELL was Malfoy doing in his BED?!

OK, Harry had to think about this logically. There must be a good reason for Malfoy to be in his bed... maybe he had some kind of weird disease that made him need skin contact... or maybe Malfoy had been _obliviated_ and had forgotten where his bed was. Theories were boundless as to why Malfoy would be in his bed but none of them made that much sense. Harry pinched himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming I mean there was always a chance... but no. If the pain in his arm was anything to go by he was very much awake and Malfoy wasn't his only problem.

OK, first things first where was he? He cast a cursory glance around the room and realised that for the first time since he'd woken up something was going his way. He was lying on a bed in the familiar setting of the Hogwarts Hospital Wing. This was good, this meant he was safe. OK, deep breaths Harry, he told himself. Now, next question, how did he get here? Unfortunately that question was much harder to answer as he couldn't actually remember the last however many hours since his Uncle had started in on him.

Time to take stock, he was in Hogwarts and not dead. Two very good things regardless of how he'd gotten there. However there was also the small matter of the Draco Malfoy he had wrapped around him, pinning him to the bed. He couldn't even comprehend that enough to decide whether that was a good or a bad thing. Beside him he felt Malfoy stir and clamped his eyes shut hoping that by pretending to be asleep he could avoid the awkwardness that was sure to ensue.

~*~*~*~

Draco Malfoy woke from the first deep sleep he'd had in ages, he stretched contentedly and was about to bury his face in the soft pillow when he remembered some of the events of last night. He remembered a bruised and broken saviour. He remembered his world being shattered and reformed as everything he thought he knew was stripped away from him and last but not least he remembered curling up to sleep with Harry Potter. Hang on a minute that last one couldn't be right... but there was the evidence in the form of a tousled head of black hair resting on the pillow inches from his face. Draco recoiled in horror and sprung from the bed with as little disruption as possible. At least the boy wonder hadn't woken up, that really would have been terrible. Draco didn't linger to see if he would, he simply bolded for the door in an attempt to keep his Malfoy pride as least somewhat intact.

He finally stopped when he'd reached the safety of the dungeons. He quickly gasped out the password and slipped into the common room, slumping down on the sofa in front of the fire.

"OhGodohGodohGodohGod," he uttered, his face buried in his palms. "What the hell was I doing, and more importantly who the hell was I doing it with..." He groaned and flopped down on the sofa remembering last night. Potter had just looked so goddamned cute.

No. Potter did not look cute. Draco needed to get a hold of himself; he was a Malfoy and humiliation didn't suit him. Not that he had much respect for the Malfoy name anymore... and it wasn't like his father hadn't humiliated them enough already; kowtowing to a half-blood madman wasn't exactly a cause for pride...

Draco had no idea what had happened last night. He decided a house elf must have fed him magic mushrooms of something because there is no way Draco would have done something like that normally.

He was, of course, completely ignoring the fact that he hadn't eaten much of anything yesterday and nothing even remotely resembling mushrooms but there was no other logical answer. It wasn't like he was attracted to Potter or anything. No, definitely not that...

~*~*~*~

Harry had some very mixed emotions lying in bed after Malfoy had dashed off. He almost wished that he had stayed awake to confront the boy. At least that might've gotten rid of some of this... confusion.

He set his emotions aside when he saw Madam Pomfrey bustle into the hospital wing.

"Hello Madam Pomfrey," he greeted her quite cheerfully relieved to have seen someone who could answer some of his questions. The smile died on his face however when the Mediwitch refused to look at him and barely mumbled a greeting in return. She asked a few very business-like questions about how he was feeling and flicked her wand over him. Harry wondered if he'd done something to annoy the usually jovial Mediwitch, he couldn't think what since he'd only been awake for a few minutes. Maybe she'd seen Draco in his bed and thought that they were... Harry couldn't even think it.

Determined to set the record straight Harry quickly said, "I don't know if I've done anything to offend you but if I have..."

"Oh no, Harry," Madam Pomfrey cut him off swiftly with a surprising waver in her voice. She finally raised her watery gaze to meet Harry's and what he saw there was guilt and sadness and worst of all pity.

This time it was Harry who turned his gaze away from the other. He hated it when people pitied him. He guessed the Mediwitch must have had to heal his injuries from Uncle Vernon and now he knew that she'd never be able to see him in the same way again. She would always feel sorry for him and he wasn't sure if he could take that. He ignored the witch as she finished his check up and the bustled off to her office at the end of the wing.

Harry knew that there was a good chance that this news would be spread around school, especially now that Malfoy knew. Everybody would know about the poor, little Boy Who Lived who couldn't even defend himself from muggles. Pity was an expression he expected to be seeing a lot of now. Pity and disgust. What good was a saviour who couldn't save himself.

He wondered who had come to pick him up. It had to be someone from the Order as Dumbledore wouldn't send anyone else. He ran through a mental list of people Dumbledore would trust to collect him but as he went through it he realised that there was only one person on there who would have a) already been at school so that Dumbledore would have easy access to him and b) wouldn't have waited by his bedside for him to wake up. Snape would never have had the time or the inclination to coddle him. Suddenly Harry had the answer to his problems. If there was one person he could count on to never look at him with pity and to never treat him differently it was Severus Snape. Well, him and Draco Malfoy. It didn't matter that it was because they hated him all he needed to know was that he wouldn't have to see their pity.

With a new found determination Harry clambered out of bed stretching briefly before making his way to the dungeons to find Snape.

* * *

**I very would love it if you would review and also if you would tell me what you'd like to see in up and coming chapters or maybe some other pairings you'd like to see (Ron and Hermione are going to be together but everyone else is pretty much fair game. I was thinking maybe Snape/Lupin, what do you think)**

**Thanks for reading**


	3. Chapter 3

_He wondered who had come to pick him up. It had to be someone from the Order as Dumbledore wouldn't send anyone else. He ran through a mental list of people Dumbledore would trust to collect him but as he went through it he realised that there was only one person on there who would have a) already been at school so that Dumbledore would have easy access to him and b) wouldn't have waited by his bedside for him to wake up. Snape would never have had the time or the inclination to coddle him. Suddenly Harry had the answer to his problems. If there was one person he could count on to never look at him with pity and to never treat him differently it was Severus Snape. Well, him and Draco Malfoy. It didn't matter that it was because they hated him all he needed to know was that he wouldn't have to see their pity. _

_With a new found determination Harry clambered out of bed stretching briefly before making his way to the dungeons to find Snape. _

Chapter 4

OK, so he hadn't really thought this through. Harry stood with his hand raised in preparation to knock on Snape's office door. What exactly did he expect, that he'd go in and Snape would just ask him to sit down and have a cuppa despite the (very mutual) hatred between them? Harry sighed and leaned against the door. So what if Snape didn't pity him? It didn't mean that they could ever get on. He decided that he should just leave with his pride intact before Snape ripped it to shreds as he had been prone to do in the past.

Suddenly Harry was falling backwards and his head hit the floor with a sharp thwack, jarring half-healed injuries left over from his time with Uncle Vernon. Harry found himself flat on his back looking up at Professor Snape from between his legs. The Professor had obviously opened the door that he was leaning against.

So much for leaving with his pride intact. At least, Harry mused, the Professor had the decency to wear trousers under his robes.

"Potter," Snape's voice was cold and cutting. "What on Earth are you doing on my floor?"

"Um..." Harry scrambled to his feet brushing down his robes. "I got... lost." He knew it was a feeble excuse but he'd just hit his head pretty damn hard and now a spot at the back of his head was throbbing painfully in time with his heartbeat.

Snape gave a derisive snort. "You've spent the better part of six years in this castle and your deviant behaviour has brought you to my office more than once so tell me Potter, do you really expect me to believe that you're... lost?" Harry flushed and Snape sighed impatiently, "Just hand over whatever Weasley prank you were about to use and be on your way. I can't believe that you thought you might get away with it, there's only you me and Draco in the castle at the moment so it wouldn't be hard to figure out the perpetrator. Now come, give it up, Mr. Potter, I really don't have time for your childish games.

Harry's ears had perked up at the mention of Malfoy inhabiting the castle too. Well damn, there went his plan for never seeing Malfoy again. At least if Malfoy had returned only for the school year he would have had hundreds of kids and the fiery pit-bull known as Ron to act as buffers. Stupid Malfoy and his stupid inability to do what he's supposed to. Shouldn't he be halfway to taking his mark by now?

Harry realised that Snape was waiting with an impatient hand stretched out in front of him, looking at Harry expectantly. For one crazy moment Harry thought he was mean to shake it or something but then he remembered Snape's prank accusation. "I wasn't playing a prank, sir. I was just wandering and I happened to stop and lean against the wrong door," Harry said trying to sound as earnest as possible.

"Do you take me for a fool, Potter?" Snape hissed venomously, causing Harry to wonder absentmindedly if Snape could also speak parceltoungue. "And speaking of wandering, are you not meant to be resting in the Hospital Wing under Madam Pomfrey's care? After the... incident I would have thought you'd need to recuperate."

Harry flinched slightly at the allusion to what had happened at No. 4 but he was surprised to see a hint of emotion flicker through Snape's coal black eyes. It looked like... concern. But that couldn't be it, could it? No surely not. Hermione was always telling him that he and Ron had the emotional sensitivity of rocks so he'd probably just misread the situation.

"I couldn't take in there anymore, sir." Harry mumbled. Snape said nothing, merely continued to stare passively at Harry. Harry felt awkward under the gaze and for some inexplicable reason he felt the need to explain himself so he blurted, "I mean Madam Pomfrey's great and all but... well she does fuss and she knows what happened to me and everything and I guess I was just... embarrassed."

Harry trailed off slightly towards the end realising the he was blurting his feelings to a man that neither liked nor cared about him. Snape pounded that point in further by saying, "I also know what happened at your... summer residence. Yes Potter, I was the one who had to go to collect you and I saw you weak and pitiful but if you thought you'd get any pity from me it's my pleasure to inform you that you were sincerely mistaken." Harry flinched again at the barbed words, maybe pity was better he really hadn't thought coming down here through.

Snape seemed to come to a decision while Harry was standing there awkwardly, wondering whether to bolt or not. "Well Potter, if you're not going back to the hospital wing then I suggest you make yourself useful. You have disturbed me with your nonsense and you have disobeyed all medical advice which was to stay in your bed. You must learn that actions always have consequences, since you seem to have no concept of rules. I shall therefore be issuing you with a detention, my Potions stores have become quite disorder after months of grubby children rummaging through them. This summer you may have the dubious honour of seeing that they are set to rights."

Harry gasped, "You can't do that Professor we're not even in the school year. You can give me a detention." Harry hated how his voice came out so whiney.

"I can do whatever I like, Mr. Potter," Snape rebutted. "Until Dumbledore comes back from whatever Order business he is on I am effectively in charge of this school, so you will be spending a minimum of two hours here per week and if the stores aren't sorted by the end of the holidays then I assure you Mr. Potter that you will have detentions right up to when you leave this school. You may start right away Mr. Potter."

Harry knew a dismissal when he heard one and even he wasn't foolhardy to argue with Snape when, as he said, he could pretty much do what he liked. Harry turned away from Snape and stomped moodily down the corridor to the Potions classroom.

He fumed silently berating himself for ever thinking that something good could come out of a visit with Snape. He crashed into the Potions cupboard and stared in horror at the task that he had to complete. Snape wasn't kidding when he said it was messy. But then again the Bat Bastard probably didn't know how to crack a joke. He probably didn't even know how to crack a smile.

Harry continue to rage at Snape in his head as he rolled up his sleeves and set to work on the goliath task of reordering the cupboard.

~*~*~*~

Severus had been more than surprised when he'd found Harry lying on the floor in front of his door. For a second he'd been too shocked to say anything but then he regained his composure. "Potter, what are you doing on my floor?" He asked imperiously. He listened to the boy babble out some feeble excuses but he cut down each one hoping to get to the truth of the matter. To be honest he wasn't entirely sure what Potter's mental state would be like at the moment. The most likely option was that the boy was just down here playing silly beggars, but on the off chance that there was something more sinister going on, Severus felt like he had to at least try to get the boy to explain.

Finally Potter seemed to have run out of excuses and the truth came out. "I couldn't take in there anymore, sir. I mean Madam Pomfrey's great and all but... well she does fuss and she knows what happened to me and everything and I guess I was just... embarrassed."

Having gone through a similar experience to Potter with his muggle father, Snape could somewhat understand how the boy was feeling. He remembered how he had felt when people had found out. The healer who had had worked at Hogwarts when he was at school had been so... kind. And he'd hated her for it. Pity had been the last thing he needed and he assumed it was the same for Potter.

"I also know what happened at your... summer residence. Yes Potter, I was the one who had to go to collect you and I saw you weak and pitiful but if you thought you'd get any pity from me it's my pleasure to inform you that you were sincerely mistaken." He saw the boy flinch slightly and he winced internally. The delivery of that message could have been nicer but Severus had had little to no human contact other than Deatheaters and unruly brats for many years, he was out of his depth just talking to Potter let alone trying to sympathise with him.

He knew that the boy needed to do something to take his mind of his experience, something that he could focus on so that he didn't have to think about the abuse. Also abuse victims could slip into bad behaviour if they had time to dwell on things or had people constantly feeling sorry for them. Severus decided that he would arrange something for Potter to do that would keep him from... acting out.

"Well Potter, if you're not going back to the hospital wing then I suggest you make yourself useful." That was quite good, Severus decided, much less harsh than his last attempt. "You have disturbed me with your nonsense and you have disobeyed all medical advice which was to stay in your bed. You must learn that actions always have consequences, since you seem to have no concept of rules. I shall therefore be issuing you with a detention, my Potions stores have become quite disorder after months of grubby children rummaging through them. This summer you may have the dubious honour of seeing that they are set to rights." Ok so the second bit wasn't so good but he could worry about that later. The sentiment was entirely good, he was genuinely worried about Potter's health and he wanted to help him by giving him a task to do. It's just that being nice, especially to Potter was so... unnatural. He felt uncomfortable even now just for thinking kind things.

Harry protested the unfairness of it and Severus started to get a bit angry. Why couldn't the boy just appreciate that he was trying to do him a favour. Ungrateful little whelp.

"I can do whatever I like, Mr. Potter, until Dumbledore comes back from whatever Order business he is on I am effectively in charge of this school, so you will be spending a minimum of two hours here per week and if the stores aren't sorted by the end of the holidays then I assure you Mr. Potter that you will have detentions right up to when you leave this school. You may start right away Mr. Potter."

Potter stormed away from him and Severus winced as he heard the door to the Potions classroom slam, further down the corridor.

That could have gone better. If only they could both control their tempers.

~*~*~*~

Harry was sweating after a couple of hours of back-breaking work in the Potions store cupboard. He wiped his sweaty forehead and decided that he should call it a day. He had hoped he could get this all done in only one or two days so that he could really stick it to Snape but it was looking less and less likely. He hadn't even started the reordering yet. There was cleaning and replacing broken or mislabelled items and heaps of other little tasks that had to be done before he could even think of shelving all of the items. And he was working more slowly than he might be normally due to aches in his newly healed limbs.

Bloody hell, Snape really was a mean git wasn't he? Although this work did give him something other than the dreaded school year that was coming up and stopped him from dwelling too much, he still hated the reasons he was doing it. Just because that mean greasy bastard was too lazy to do it himself.

Harry walked slowly back to the Gryffindor Tower rubbing at his aching shoulders and the small of his back which had both started to smart from the menial labour. When he reached his dormitory he climbed gratefully into a hot soothing shower and then got into bed.

He couldn't get to sleep. It seemed that without a task keeping him occupied his mind started to drift to things that were... less than pleasant. He started to get more and more worked up remembering the abuse he'd suffered. Curse Vernon for beating him bloody. And curse Dumbledore for making him go back there. And curse Snape for finding out and Poppy for pitying him and Malfoy for confusing him. Curse his friends for not realising he was in trouble... but most of all cure him.

Curse him for never standing up to Dumbledore and for not telling anyone about what was happening and for being too bloody Gryffindor-ish to ask for help and for letting it get so far and for being such a shit wizard that he couldn't ever defend himself against his fat muggle uncle.

In that moment Harry truly hated himself. He felt like the walls were closing in on him and he just needed to get out. He wanted to be free, he needed release, he needed to escape everything that currently plagued him. He bolted out of the dorm and ran through the corridors until he reached the tallest part of the school, the astronomy tower. He walked trembling to the very edge of the tower, his mind whirling and spinning with hateful thoughts. He took the last step towards the edge and then... he leapt.

**OK first things first, don't worry about Harry going completely emo and trying to commit suicide. Trust me when I say there's method in my madness (hopefully).**

**Secondly I would like to thank everyone who reviewed, you guys are totally awesome and again I encourage you to review with any feedback or things you would like to see in this story. And on that note I have a poll on my profile page to do with this story so please go check it out and vote.**

**Lastly two hilarious lines in this story. I only realised what they sounded when I read this through a second time.**

1. Harry found himself flat on his back looking up at Professor Snape from between his legs.

2. Now come, give it up, Mr. Potter

**Oops, those two lines sooo didn't mean what they sounded like. :P X **


End file.
